unique since 1892

Berghotel
Oeschinensee

Welcome to Oeschinensee!

Since the construction of our mountain hotel in 1892, the Wandfluh family have been hosts at Oeschinensee. Different eras and generations have left their mark on the hotel. Since 2012, the hotel has been run by Lea and Christoph in the 5th generation. The team comprises around 30 long-serving employees. 

Mountain gastronomy at 1600 meters is not the same as city gastronomy. The entire logistics are handled by our team - every carrot, every bottle of wine and every roll of toilet paper is loaded onto the train and transported from the mountain station to the lake. Good planning in purchasing is therefore the be-all and end-all. We also operate the drinking water network ourselves.

In our kitchen we use fresh and regional products and our dishes are prepared with a lot of know-how by our chefs. We have a selection of vegetarian, lactose-free, gluten-free and, of course, vegan dishes. We only use meat from our communal farm in Kandersteg for our lamb dishes. All meat is sourced from the region, if possible in organic quality. We are therefore very proud that everything in our kitchen is home-made(no convenienceproducts ).

Restaurant Oeschinensee - open from 09:30 to 16:00, open daily

  • Opening hours

    May 09 - September 15, 2024: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. September 16 - November 10, 2024: 09:00 to 16:30Open 7 days

The restaurant directly on the lake with a view of the Unesco World Heritage Site

  • Self-service restaurant with large terrace
  • Open fire in all dining rooms in bad weather
  • Lamb specialties from our own farm
  • Homemade spaetzli dishes
  • Homemade cakes, desserts and Oeschi glacé 
  • Selection of vegetarian & vegan dishes
  • Gluten & lactose free offers
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Curry Oeschinensee (vegan, gluten-free)
Spaetzli Vaudoise
Lamb pepper from our own farm
Open fire in all guest rooms

Restaurant Bergstübli (mountain station) - open from 09:00 - 16:30

  • Opening hours

    May 09 - September 15, 2024: 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. September 16 - November 10, 2024: 09:00 to 16:30Open 7 days

Cozy restaurant
Homemade cheesecake
homemade baked goods
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Cafebar at Oeschinensee - open 10-16h

  • Opening hours

    March 23 to November 11: 09:00 to 18:00

  • Snacks

    French fries, schnitzel bread, lukewarm pretzel

  • Vegi / Vegan

    Soup, garlic bread, cheesecake

  • Sweet

    Oeschi ice cream, fruit cake, muffins, nut croissants

  • Meat dishes

    Breaded schnitzel, chilli con carne

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Chili con carne
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#unique since 1892

Berghotel Oeschinensee - a family business since 1892

Guests from all over the world recognized the beauty of Lake Oeschinen above Kandersteg early on. This was one of the reasons why David Wandfluh decided to build an inn at Oeschinensee in 1890. At that time, great-great-grandfather Wandfluh was a farmer in Kandergrund. In addition to gastronomy, our family has also preserved the tradition of "being a farmer". Today, the Berghotel is run by the fifth generation and is entirely family-owned. No investors and 100% independent - businesses with a long-standing tradition are unfortunately becoming increasingly rare. We are therefore particularly proud to stand for tradition, quality and humanity.

Farm

Sheep have long been our passion and at the same time our family meditation. The farm has around 30 animals. The sheep spend the summer on the steep slopes below the gondola lift. We only use fodder that grows in our own meadows and which we bring in ourselves in the summer. All the meat is slaughtered locally in Kandersteg and processed and prepared by us in our own kitchen. The hard but beautiful work gives us pleasure and we are very proud of our meat products. We also sell the sheepskins and lambskins at Oeschinensee. Since 2023, the farm has been run jointly with the Grossen family from Reginahof in Kandersteg and comprises around 40 cows, 20 cattle and 50 sheep.

Berghotel Oeschinensee - History

Today
We want to move more and more towards annual operation. The café bar will therefore offer a basic service even when the cable car is not in operation. Thanks to the new hiking trail from Kandersteg to Oeschinensee , visitors can reach Oeschinensee more easily and, above all, safely all year round. Cooperation on the mountain is better than ever before. All partners are pulling in the same direction and regular meetings are held with neighboring businesses. The uncertainty of the "Spitzen Stei" has brought us closer together.
Set new sails
The number of visitors is steadily increasing, but there are also frequent staff departures. The team shrinks from 40 to 23 employees in just a few weeks. However, the average age of the team is still 16. Despite the canton's rejection of a request for a toilet extension, we successfully converted the business to self-service in just 6 weeks in order to continue offering our guests first-class cuisine. The hotel will remain closed for overnight stays from summer for the time being.
Logistk
An Iveco delivery van with a lifting platform was purchased, which means that all logistics are now handled via the gondola lift instead of the private road. Due to regular official closures of the access road from Kandersteg due to natural hazards from the "Spitzen Stei", reliable planning is no longer possible. Intensive investment is being made in making work easier (ergonomics) throughout the entire operation. Furthermore, together with all partners on the mountain, a compactor was purchased for waste from the entire mountain region. We take care of the disposal up to the waste incineration plant in Thun ourselves.
Pandemic
The uncertain situation surrounding the "Spitze Stei" and Corona prompted us to come up with new ideas. Together with our 30-strong team, we are constantly working on new ideas. This is how our "Fondue2Go" and "Oeschi ice cream" came about. Fortunately, we were able to overcome the pandemic without financial support. All employees were kept on through the period and there were no redundancies.
Food Trucks & Bergstübli
The first food truck was manufactured by the carpenter according to our specifications. The second followed a year later. The Bergstübli at the mountain station was taken over. The official closure of the "Spitze Stei" with a lead time of 24 hours is always in the back of our minds. The mobile food trucks and the Bergstübli can therefore offer employees and guests something to eat when the Berghotel am See has to close.
Return
David jun. (Christoph's older brother) comes back home after his wandering years. He supports us energetically since then and is active in the kitchen.
5th generation
Christoph (hotelier) & Lea (PR specialist) Wandfluh take over the business in the 5th generation. Together with their two children, the family spends the summer at Oeschinensee. The team comprises around 15 employees. The first floor is completely renovated. The cold storage rooms are also extended in 2015.
Fiber optics & sewerage
All businesses on the mountain must connect to the Kandersteg sewer system. In addition, a fiber optic cable will be laid to Oeschinensee . A new supply line will be dug for the drinking water supply to the mountain hotel. The entire costs will be borne by the public.
Horse-drawn carriage
More and more older guests found the walk from the lake back to the mountain station too long. Heart attacks were the result. From 2003 to 2006, a horse-drawn carriage therefore transported mainly older guests from the mountain station to Oeschinensee. The work was too strenuous for the horses, so from 2007 an electric vehicle was used (the first prototype was a flop).
4th generation
David & Susanna Wandfluh take over the family business and continue to run it in the 4th generation. Over the next 30 years, the house was completely renovated and refurbished. The kitchen was extended, the refrigeration systems expanded, all rooms refurbished and a solar system installed back in the early 1990s.
Construction of the chairlift
David Wandfluh builds the von Roll Bern company's 2-seater chairlift from Kandersteg to Oeschinen. The construction of a chairlift was a pioneering achievement at the time - the construction of a cable car through the air was not met with much success. At the time, funiculars on rails were more in vogue than a cable car in the air.
1945
During the war, international tourism collapsed completely. It was mainly Swiss guests and many school trips that visited Oeschinensee. Menu of the day: Soup with sausage, CHF 2 - one sausage for two children.
Extension 1912
The mountain hotel was generously extended. The current floor plan corresponds for the most part. Among other things, an open "drinking hall" was built. The "donkey stable" is still preserved today.
Foundation 1892
David Wandfluh builds the mountain hotel at Oeschinensee as a small guesthouse with 10 rooms and a restaurant.
2024
2023
2022
2020
2019
2015
2012
2013
2003
1981
1949
Wartime
Extension
Construction of the mountain hotel

Contact & Arrival

Berghotel Oeschinensee AG
3718 Kandersteg

office@berghotel-oeschinensee.ch  

+41 33 675 11 19

 

The Berghotel Oeschinensee is not accessible by car. 

From Kandersteg you can reach Oeschinensee on foot or by cable car. Overnight stays are currently not possible. In winter, a snowshoe trail leads from Kandersteg to Oeschinensee. Follow the signs from the cable car valley station (approx. 1 hour). You can reach us in 25 minutes by cable car from the mountain station.

No public access
Access by private car is not possible, there is no cab service. As an alternative to the cable car, you can walk from Kandersteg to the mountain hotel Oeschinensee in an hour.

Car or motorcycle
Google Maps coordinates
Parking spaces are available at the valley station of the gondola lift. For hotel guests, a parking space costs CHF 8 - 12 per day.

Public transport
From Bern or Brig: hourly connections to Kandersteg with BLS. From Kandersteg railroad station on foot (15 minutes) or local bus (8 minutes) to the valley station of the Kandersteg gondola Oeschinensee. You can find the timetable here.

Electric shuttle from the mountain station to the lake
In summer daily from 11.30 to 17.00 / 18.00 from the mountain station to Oeschinensee, CHF 10 per trip. Persons with reduced mobility or senior citizens have priority at all times.

Arrival from the airport
There are hourly trains to Kandersteg from Zurich, Geneva, Basel and Bern airports. We do not offer a pick-up service from the airport.

Berghotel Oeschinensee AG | 3718 Kandersteg | office@berghotel-oeschinensee.ch | +41 33 675 11 19